


we can't go back anymore.

by immaturities



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Gen, chapter 260: ariel feeling sick and heartbroken for 20359 years over her sons, idk if i'll ever even finish this i'm just so distressed about the new chapter and i needed to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 00:45:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3630354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immaturities/pseuds/immaturities
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in another life, aladdin remembers, and judal does not. / modern reincarnation au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 2 am

**Author's Note:**

> based on 64 damn prompts from livejournal
> 
> chapter 260 literally left me feeling sick and winded   
> and i had to write to get some of it out, i'm sorry,
> 
> no capitalization because i'm very emotional and i suck
> 
> spoilers for recent chapters of magi, obviously

judal wasn’t sure what it was, but he hated the dark. he hated the night, really. something about it sparked a feeling deep down in him that was something like fear. and yet, he spent most of his nights wandering the city when all the shops were closed, and half the streetlights were off. it was always cold, and dead silent, with his footsteps echoing across pavement. he didn't know where he was going, or what he would do, but he didn't want to stay inside.

he’d been adopted a few months ago by some lady who was too nice, and smiled too widely. she had another adopted son with hair nearly as long as his own, that she braided for him every morning. he’d been in a foster home most of his life, and he’d never had parents, really. none that cared, at least. so it was strange to see that she actually did care about him. she cared a lot, and he just didn't understand why.

when he finally came back from his midnight walks, she never scolded him. even though she'd fall asleep in the armchair nearest the door while waiting for him to get home, she’d just stir when the door opened, smile with relief, and drag herself to her room with a sleepy, _goodnight_. he didn’t get it. and he didn't understand why it was so comforting.

.

he had dreams of floating forever. he was space dust, memory fragments. he no longer existed, and yet he kept moving. eventually, the bubble broke apart, and he scattered. far, far, away, to another time, and another place--and then he opened his eyes to the morning, and his white ceiling. his new mother calling from down the hall, _breakfast is ready!_ and aladdin scampering down the stairs to hug her. laughter.

he didn’t belong here. he curled onto his side, trying to block out the noise. he couldn't stay here. but he wanted to. slowly loosening himself, he opened his eyes and looked at his wall, and the window right next to his bed. he wanted to stay here. with these stupid people.

it just didn't make any sense. he pulled himself out of bed slowly, and began to get dressed.

.

looking out his window in the early, early morning, he heard his door creak open slightly. turning, expecting to see her checking on him, he paused upon seeing aladdin. the blue haired boy stepped into his room, and rested his back upon the wood paneling of his white door. neither of them spoke until a dog barked outside, down the street.

finally, aladdin said, “i’m sorry.” and he didn’t know why, but he felt bile rise up from the back of his throat. what the hell was he sorry for? what the hell did that mean? the boy didn’t move, and judal had no response.

( _floating space dust and perpetual motion_ )

“i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“i know,” aladdin said, inclining his head towards the floor, “but i’m sorry. for everything.”

he didn’t know what to do. aladdin left, soft footfalls on wooden floors, and judal stayed where he was, sitting up on his strange bed, in this strange house, where he didn’t belong, and almost felt like screaming.

 

 


	2. metaphor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> solomon's wisdom doesn't allow him to forget.

in another life, maybe another world, where magic was possible, judal was a black sun. corrupt, yes, but still a star. he was bright, despite his darkness, and he had straight white teeth that shown against his black hair. everywhere he went, chaos followed, and he reveled in it. he never stopped to think about what he did, but even when he did, he didn’t care.

judal was a hurricane. a natural disaster in the shape of a boy not much older than him. aladdin stared at the ceiling of the room he shared with sphintus and frowned. he hadn’t heard anything about the dark magi in months, and that was almost more concerning than if he’d been getting word of something happening. where was he? what was he doing?

swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and letting them dangle above the stone floor, he sighed and hopped off. the stones were cold against his bare feet, and he slowly got himself ready for his next class. when was the last time he’d even seen judal? he couldn’t remember correctly. everything seemed like a blur. it’d been months since he’d seen anyone, really… alibaba or mor, or uncle sinbad, either.

he felt heavy when he was alone. his shoulders almost ached with the imaginary weight of human lives, memories, and rukh. how old was he now? twelve, he thought. something like that. how was everyone else doing? he wished he could find out. 

the stairs leading down to the main hallway were silent. it seemed he was early--or maybe he was late? he set his jaw and began to run. moping wouldn't solve anything, or give him any answers. he just had to keep trying.

.

_hey_.

judal’s voice from the dark. was he dreaming?

_of course you are, you idiot._

oh.

_why are you spending so much time worrying about me? you’ve got enough shit to deal with, don’t you? focus on your studies and get stronger. it won’t be any fun killing you if you’re still a weakling._

i don’t want to fight you, he thought, trying to see. there was nothing there.

_that’s too bad. it’s not like we have a choice._

we do!

_not anymore._

\--he woke up to dawn breaking, and even though it had just been a dream, he still felt oddly sick.

.

halfway around the world, judal woke up with a razor sharp grin, and hysteria building in his chest. he put his hands on his face, hearing himself laugh from far away.

they didn’t have a fucking choice. he was too far gone to go back to wherever the hell the shorty was now. if he’d ever been there in the first place.

.

_i never wanted this to happen_. 

"it was the only thing i could do," aladdin choked out. hakuryuu let out air like he'd been punched in the gut, and aladdin felt his knees trembling. 

it was over. everything was over. he looked at alibaba's unmoving form, and his glossed over gold eyes, and felt exhaustion overcoming him. falling to his knees, he looked at the hole in the clouds where judal had been pushed beyond the planet's atmosphere.

_i'm sorry_ , he thought, closing his eyes,  _i didn't want to do this._  

.

in another world, he wakes up quietly to sunshine and birds chirping, in a twin sized bed on the second floor of a house in suburbia. in the room across the hall from his, he can hear his adoptive mother mumbling in her sleep. below him, judal was probably still asleep. 

the universe was so strange. he closed his eyes, no longer able to use magic, and felt at peace.

 


End file.
